Thrifty Soup Recipes

No one can afford to waste food these days. If there is anything I hate, it is having to throw away produce because we just didn't use "all" of it. Well, get out that kettle, kiddos! Here is one of the easies, most frugal but tasty recipes I know:

Pantry Soup
What you will need:

Dutch oven or stock pot
1 Can of Green Beans with liquid(Or fresh + 1C water)
1 Can of peas with liquid(or fresh + 1C water)
1 Can of corn with liquid
1 Lg. Can of Chicken or Beef Broth (I prefer Swansons)
1 Can of potatoes, or about 2 fresh (*NOTE: If you want to add even MORE nutrition to this soup, put the potato peelings into a cheese cloth, close, and let simmer with soup. Remove before serving soup)

Begin cooking on low heat. After the flavors have blended for a while, try some and add salt/pepper to taste. When it is at full boil, add 1 pkg of uncooked noodles (whichever kind you like) Cook until heated through, about 7-10 minutes. If you prefer more chicken flavor, add either more broth, or a can of chicken noodle soup.
*VARIATION; Add tomatoe juice to your liking.

Whenever you are cooking up another meal, stash away just a bit of it for a future feature soup! Cook a little extra hamburger, or other meats, then freeze them until you are making soup. Be sure to label them, unless of course, you want "mystery soup" (I've done that too!)

Remember you can use fresh or canned vegetables in these thrifty soups. If you are cleaning and blanching fresh produce, again, stash some away for soups.

When possible, even if you have to batch up and freeze, home made soup stock is the best choice. Canned and bullion are great in a pinch, but there is a LOT of added salt in the prepared options. When we add the bullion, or broth to taste, in our own stock, we tend to use less than the canned versions.

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This soup can be served hot or cold. Perfect for summer OR winter!

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

2 Cans black beans
1 1/2 Cup soup stock
1 Cup of your favorite Salsa
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
1 or 2 Green onions, chopped.

Put the beans, salsa, cumin, and soup stock into a food processor (a blender is OK too). Puree the mixture until it is creamy in texture. Pour the mixture into a mid-sized pot and heat on low-medium until it is completely hot. This allows the flavors to merge. If you are going to serve it cold, move it to the fridge to cool off till it is time to eat. To eat it hot, simply serve into bowls and garnish with the onions and some of the sour cream.

I have been cooking since I was a teenager, and I am now 50, so that's a few years! I have learned how to make food, and dollars stretch and still eat well.

I have a Table of Contents that lists my Squidoo lenses by topic. You can find it HERE>

Cheesy Potato Soup

1 bag frozen potato hashbrowns
2-3 Cans Chicken Broth
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Can Cheddar Cheese soup
1 Can Cream of Chicken

Put ingredients into a pan and cook thoroughly. You can add broccoli, corn, even ham to this recipe and it is marvelous!

Ramen Meatball Soup

What you need:
Pot big enough for however many servings you want to make
Ramen noodles, 1 package for each serving you want to make
Frozen Meatballs; 5 per serving

From the tap, or from bottled water, fill the pot with water. Add broth from the Ramen packets. Bring to a boil and add frozen meatballs. Let simmer for about 5 minutes then add all of the ramen noodles. Cook until noodles are tender, about 4-5 minutes. **You may need to cook the meatballs in the broth for a while longer, check before continuing.

Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 can pinto beans
1 can whole kernel corn ,drained
1 can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix -(opt.)
1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry)
2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth

Brown Ground Beef and Onions (unless you already have frozen cooked ground beef) in a pot. Drain Fat. Put in rest of ingredients and simmer until hot and flavors mixed (1 hour)
**Serve with Cornbread or tortillas